Routine
by phantomshadow99
Summary: Jade White had a routine. And it was pretty boring. That is until she meets Peter Parker in the school corridor. They become friends, but Jade can't help shake the feeling something is off about him. At least she has Queens masked superhero to confide in. But why does he seem so familiar to Jade?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jade White was used to many things in life. She was used to the neighbours upstairs waking her up every morning at 6am as they played their radio way too loudly, and how her mother consoled her over this fact by bringing her the usual hot chocolate in bed before she got ready for school. She was used to meeting her friend Anna Mitchells as she got off the subway, the two dodging around early morning practice on the football field before entering Midtown School of Science and Technology. She was used to going home, eating, doing homework and going to bed. Then repeating it all over again.

Jade White had a routine in her pretty normal, average life, and she was tired of it.

"Don't you ever wish for something a bit…more?" she asked Anna, the two walking to their lockers that were conveniently placed next to each other. They stopped, both inputting their locker combinations and taking out their books for their first period.

Anna rolled her eyes with a smile, pushing her hand against her friend's shoulder to jostle her out of her mood. "Can't you ever just be happy with what you've got? I mean, we're high school students. Wishing for more is normal, especially for more hot guys at school," Anna answered, smiling as a guy in her calculus walked past, throwing a wink in her direction.

Jade shook her head, unable to hide her grin at her friend's antics. She turned, and gasped as a wall of muscle slammed into her, knocking her and her books everywhere.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Ar-are you okay?" a voice panicked, mumbling as they offered a hand to Jade. Anna picked the books up as Jade laughed, taking the outstretched hand.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," she said, letting go of the hand and turning to take her books from Anna. She smiled at the boy who was still apologising. "It's fine, really. Peter, right?"

Peter Parker had never felt so bad, especially as the girl in front of him was clearly going to have some bruises after he stumbled into her. He nodded, only just realising that a beautiful girl was actually talking to him.

"I'm Jade, this is Anna. I think we have a few classes together. You're always late," Jade commented, laughing as he blushed sheepishly. Peter stood in awe as she spoke, Anna trying to grab her attention as the first bell rang. "Well, we gotta go. See you in biology!" Jade shouted, waving as Anna grabbed her arm and dragged her to class. She smiled as Peter waved unsurely, before realising he had to get to class and rushed off.

"Why are you nice to the ones who are weird?" Anna questioned, Jade shaking her head at the question.

"Hey, he seemed nice. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's the one Flash torments, so lay off him," Jade told her, and Anna promised she would after grinning at the mention of Flash.

"Anything to get back at your ex," Anna said, and Jade grimaced at the reminder.

"God, don't remind me," Jade mumbled, Anna chuckling as they walked into their first class.

Peter and Ned sat next to each other at lunch later that day, the two watching Liz laughing with her friends. "Did she do something new with her hair?" Peter asked, his hand on his cheek as he dreamily gazed at his crush.

"No, it's 'cause her fringe is pinned back, that's why it looks different," Ned answered, his interest perking up as two girls entered the cafeteria. Jade and Anna both stopped to say hi to Liz as the two boys sat up straighter. "Isn't that the girl you crashed into this morning?" Ned asked, and Peter was about to deny the crashing until Jade noticed the two, smiling and waving before saying bye to Liz. "Are they coming over here?" Ned asked in disbelief, Peter beginning to stutter as Jade and Anna stopped in front of them.

"Hey Peter, mind if we join you?" Jade asked as Anna studied the boys with her usual judgmental frown.

"Er, y-yeah of course," Peter managed to say, almost rising to stand and pull the bench out as the two girls joined them. "This is Ned," he introduced, looking to Ned who was staring at the two girls with an open-mouth.

"It's nice to meet you, Ned," Jade said, smiling as Peter kicked Ned's leg under the table.

"You're the one who has Lego obsession," Anna stated, surprising the others. "I saw you researching the number of pieces in the library the other day," she explained, and Ned grinned in excitement. "My cousin has one, it's pretty amazing. I've helped him build it like five times now," Anna admitted, blushing as Jade felt pride swell for her friend being nice to the boys. Jade shared a smile as Ned began asking tons of questions about the mechanics of the pieces, Anna replying with a smile to each one.

"I'm sorry again about this morning. I was running late, and Flash nearly ran me over. Again," Peter admitted quietly, and Jade smiled knowingly.

"Peter, it's fine. It was an interesting way to make a new friend I guess," she teased, Peter laughing quietly. "And ignore Flash, he's…" Jade trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence.

"You're friends with him?" Peter questioned, taking a sip of his drink. Jade tucked a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear, shaking her head.

"I'm kind of his ex," she answered. Peter spat his drink out, only just missing Jade who was sat in front of him.

"Yo-You're his ex?" he asked, Ned and Anna stopping to listen in. "But you're so…"

"Different?" Jade supplied, as Anna shook her head.

"More like polar opposites," Anna muttered, smiling when Jade elbowed her.

"I agree," Ned said, smiling in Anna's direction as Peter was still staring at Jade with surprise.

"You're so…nice, and he's not," Peter said, glancing to the side as he noticed Flash stealing chips off his friend's plate without them noticing. Jade followed his gaze and sighed.

"Yeah, he was nice to start with but then…" Jade trailed off, shrugging as she turned back to face the table.

"He cheated," Anna explained, and Jade glared at her.

"I'm sorry," Peter said, and Jade smiled softly.

"It's in the past. Besides, Anna was happy because she got to punch him," Jade said, laughing as Ned fist-bumped the girl.

"Bad-ass," Ned praised, Anna beaming as they continued to talk till the end of lunch.

"We've got biology, right?" Jade asked Peter, the two of them waving bye to Anna and Ned as the two walked to the library together for their study hall.

"Yeah," Peter answered with a smile, stopping by Jade's locker to get her books first. "Hey, I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what, having biology with you?" Jade teased, stacking her books up and shutting her locker. Peter chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, not that. It's just, a lot of people avoid me and Ned and even though you didn't have to, you and Anna have been nice to us," Peter said quietly, and Jade smiled softly.

"You and Ned are good people, Peter, I know that, and I've only known you for today. Other people, they tend to ignore the good guys," Jade said, the two entering their class. Peter smiled at her words, the two parting to take their seats.


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since Peter bumped into Jade, and it had been a good week. Jade's routine was pretty much the same as before, except she met Peter on the subway before school, the two journeying to school in a morning. She and Anna sat with Peter and Ned, and had even been invited to build Lego and watch Star Wars by the boys. Hardly anyone had noticed their new friendship, except a certain school bully.

"Jade!" Flash called, making the girl jump as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she stood talking with Peter by his locker. "What are you doing talking to Penis Parker?"

Jade clenched her jaw, shrugging his arm off and stepping to stand in between him and Peter. "We're friends, Flash, unlike the two of us," Jade said, Peter watching the interaction and feeling his fist tighten.

"You're kidding?" Flash asked, laughing mockingly as he looked between the two. "Why hang out with him when there's me?"

"God, I wonder why I'd rather hang out with an honest, sweet guy and not you?" Jade asked, crossing her arms with a small smile. Peter's eyes widened but he didn't say anything. "Come on Peter, we'll be late for our project meeting," Jade added when Flash didn't know what to say. Peter frowned in confusion before nodding, hurrying after the girl as she walked towards an empty corridor away from the bully.

"Hey, you okay?" Peter asked when they stopped, the girl looking to the floor in silence.

"Yeah, sorry about him," Jade muttered, smiling awkwardly for the first time. Peter sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to apologise for his behaviour," he said softly, and her smiled evened into a familiar one. "I still can't believe you went out with that jerk."

"Yeah, I'm still shocked you were surprised. It wasn't really a secret that we were together," Jade mentioned, the two starting to walk slowly to their next class.

"To be honest, I only really pay attention to Flash when I have to. Or when he's taking the piss," Peter said, and Jade couldn't help a small laugh before she apologised. "What happened?" he asked, quietly. They had reached Jade's class and stopped outside, Peter hovering around the door as Jade hesitated before she spoke.

"I'll tell you when we walk home," Jade promised, smiling as he internally groaned before nodding.

XXXXXX

Peter made sure he was waiting outside the school for Jade when the last bell rang. Usually, he would already be on his way to Delmar's for his usual before donning his super suit and fighting crime. But today was different. He was looking forward to learning more about the girl. Yes, he still had his deep crush for Liz, but Jade was…intriguing to Peter.

Jade wasn't even sure Peter would wait for her after to school. He met with her in a morning, but he always had some excuse that he was too busy, or he had to be home for a certain time, so was never able to walk with her. She was pleasantly surprised that her usual routine was broken when she saw Peter fidgeting nervously as he stood waiting for her.

"Hey," she called, jogging over to him and nudging his shoulder. "I didn't think you'd be here," she said, happily smiling as they began walking out of school.

"Well, Aunt May is working a little longer today so she didn't mind me getting home later," Peter said, wincing at the lie for a second, reminding himself to buy May a sandwich from Delmar's next time he was there as an apology.

"Well, I'm glad. I thought it was just because you wanted to know about me and Flash," Jade teased, laughing when Peter stuttered his denial. "It's ok, I promised."

"You don't need to tell me, if you don't want to," Peter said, noticing the girl going quiet.

"I want to. I trust you, Peter," Jade said softly, the two blushing slightly and looking away. "Flash and I used to be really close. We pretty much grew up with each other when we were younger, and I honestly thought I loved him. But when we came to high school, he just, changed. He became desperate to be popular and loved by everyone. He wasn't happy with just me anymore."

The two were silent as Jade's words settled between them. "He's an idiot," Peter said eventually, the two reaching the subway station, waiting for the doors to open.

"What do you mean?" Jade asked.

"He's an idiot, to give someone as amazing as you up," Peter said, his Spiderman confidence peeking through before he blushed nervously. "I-I mean, that's just what I think, you can ignore-"

"Peter," Jade stopped his stuttering, placing her hand on his arm. "Thank you," she whispered softly, the two sharing a small smile.

"No problem," Peter said, smiling at the girl next to him as they stepped onto the train. "Hey, do you want walking home?"

"Thanks, but I've actually got to meet Anna at the library, so I'll only be home for a few minutes," Jade answered, her own cheeks reddening at the sweet suggestion.

"Oh, well, maybe another time," Peter mumbled, looking to floor of the train and back at her.

"It's a plan," Jade nodded, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all! Hope you're enjoying this story! I've already written it all in 12 chapters, but wanted your opinion – do I include the Harry Osbourn and the Green Goblin before Infinity War as a little extra something to the story? I played around with the idea when I wrote it, but wanted to see what you guys think so please let me know! Also please leave a review if you're enjoying it, I love reading them!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk back with you?" Anna asked, the two walking down the steps of the library. The two had stayed until late, cramming for a test the next day.

"No, I'll be fine, you only live across the street, it's pointless you walking to the other side of Queens just to walk back again," Jade told her, smiling at her concern. Anna nodded, asking her to text her when she got home before the two hugged and set off on their separate ways.

Jade was used to walking these streets, but tonight it seemed eerily quiet and darker than usual. She pulled her bag further up her shoulder, pulling her phone out and checking the time, frowning when she saw how late it actually was.

"Mum is going to murder me," Jade muttered, hurrying her pace as she turned a corner, her eyes meeting those of a man leaning against the wall with a bottle in his hand. She smiled nervously, glancing to the floor as she passed him. She tried to forget the look in his eyes, but a nagging feeling inside her made her glance over her shoulder. The man was slowly walking behind her, staring at her as she turned back around, gripping the strap of her bag tightly as her heart quickened. She shut her eyes tightly as she heard the footsteps behind her, gasping when she felt an arm grip her arm tightly and pull her round to face him. She noticed his dark bloodshot eyes, and the stench on his breath as he stared at her. "You don't have to do this," she whispered, her heart beating so fast she could hear it.

"I know," the man grunted, before pulling the two away from the safety of the street and into a deserted alleyway. Jade grunted in pain as the man pushed her against a wall, his hands on her shoulders as he looked her up and down, his lingering gaze making Jade shudder. "You are gorgeous," the man whispered, his breath heavy with alcohol.

"Please, don't do this," she cried, her voice wobbling as his hands travelled to her waist. She was about to scream out, her eyes closed shut tightly.

"Seriously, who taught you how to treat a lady?" a voice called out, before a web hit Jade's attacker in the face, his grip on her falling away as he tried to pull the webbing off his face. Jade moved back, gasping as a red and blue figure swung forward, kicking the attacker away from her and into a nearby dumpster. Jade's breath quickened as she began to shake, her legs nearly giving way under her before someone caught her. She began to struggle, fearing it was her attacker.

"Hey, hey it's ok! I'm the good guy!" the voice said, and Jade looked up to see the masked face of Spiderman. "It's ok Jade, he isn't going to hurt you," he promised, and Jade felt her breathing even out before she hugged the hero tightly.

Peter stiffened before wrapping his arms around the girl, smiling under his mask as he held her. "Thank you," she whispered. Peter nodded, his eyes closing before she stepped away from him. He noticed she was still shaking, with a few unshed tears forming in her eyes.

"Want me to walk you home?" he asked, deepening his voice as she smiled gratefully, nodding. Jade gave a glance back to her attacker before following him out the alleyway. They took a few steps before he grinned at her, though she was unable to see it under the mask.

"Do you want to see something amazing?" he asked, and Jade smiled uncertainly. Peter wrapped his arm around her waist, Jade gasping at the close proximity. "Don't worry," he said softly, noticing how she tensed. "I won't hurt you, or let you fall," he said.

"You promise?" Jade asked, her eyes sparkling in the streetlight. Peter smiled, seeing once again how beautiful she really was.

"I promise," he vowed quietly, and Jade paused before wrapping her arms around his neck, and it was Peter's turn to gasp quietly. "Hold on tight." Jade did as instructed, and Peter shot a web at a nearby building, pulling the two up with a jolt and swinging them through the air. Jade squealed, shutting her eyes before opening them when Peter laughed at her.

"This is amazing!" Jade shouted, laughing along with Peter. She had never seen anything as special as Queens sparkling with lights at night, and swinging through the air was a feeling she would not forget anytime soon. It wasn't long before Peter dropped them on top of a rooftop, the two letting go of one another. "I can't thank you enough," Jade said, smiling at the superhero. Peter grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

"It was my pleasure," he said, pausing as he heard a police siren a few blocks away. "I have…" he trailed off, and Jade smiled.

"To go be a hero," she finished, the two smiling. "I hope I see you soon, Spiderman," Jade said, holding her hand out. Peter laughed before taking it, shaking it before letting go.

"Hopefully for a social call instead," he said, before running and jumping off the roof. Jade gasped, running to see him swinging across buildings towards the sirens. Jade stood, smiling despite not being able to see him any longer.

"Hey mum," Jade called, dropping her bag by the door and smiling at the smell of homemade lasagne wafting in from the kitchen.

"Hello sweetheart. How was school? Did you manage to study everything for the test tomorrow?" Lilian White asked, smiling as she dished the food out for the two of them. Jade had the same eyes as Lilian, but her mother was grateful every time her daughter smiled. She had her father's smile.

"Yeah, everything was good," Jade answered, not wanting to worry her mum with what happened in the alley. "Really good," she added, remembering swinging through the city in the protective hold of its very own superhero.

XXXXXX

"Girl I am getting you a rape whistle," Anna almost shouted, Jade hushing her as she glanced around the hall.

"You're the only person I've told, you need to keep your voice down," Jade begged. Anna paused before surprising Jade with a sudden hug.

"If Spiderman hadn't shown up," Anna mumbled, and Jade nodded, hugging her friend back tightly. "I'm never letting you walk by yourself ever again."

"I'll be fine. I've asked my mum if I can start taking self-defence classes on a Friday night. She didn't ask why, but she agreed," Jade said, pulling away from her friend.

"I'll come with you. I hit Flash pretty hard that time, I clearly have a talent," Anna said, a teasing smile putting Jade at ease. "Spiderman is my new favourite person," she added, and Jade laughed.

"Why?" Ned asked, him and Peter coming to walk next to the two girls. Jade and Anna shared a look before Anna answered.

"I saw him save a squirrel in the park last night," Anna said quickly, Jade coughing to hide her laugh.

"Squirrels are pretty awesome," Ned stated, the two walking in front as Ned asked if Anna spoke to Spiderman. Peter nervously walked next to Jade.

"You ok?" he asked, and she nodded with a small smile. "Good."

"You aren't going to ask Anna about her encounter with Spiderman?" Jade asked, surprised as everyone seemed to be obsessed with the superhero.

"Nah, I'd rather talk to you," he said, before blushing at his words immediately after. Jade blushed as well, before smiling and nudging his shoulder.

"I didn't realise you were so confident, Peter," Jade said, and Peter shook his head.

"I normally aren't. Maybe you bring it out in me," Peter said, and Jade smiled, biting her lip as she looked to the floor as they continued walking.


	4. Chapter 4

Jade had just come home from her first self-defence class and her mum was out working late, so she arrived to a quiet and empty apartment. Anna had joined her in the class just like she'd promised, and had gotten her dad to drop Jade at her apartment.

"I'm not taking any chances," Anna had said, even though Jade had said it wasn't necessary. She smiled, thinking of her protective friend with her hidden kind soul. Jade looked outside, pausing before she smiled, making herself a hot chocolate and walking upstairs to the roof.

Her building had its own roof garden, and some neighbour had kindly decorated it with some lights and seats, giving an added benefit to the amazing view Jade now stared at as she sipped her drink, listening to the noise of the city.

"You didn't bring me one?" a voice called, making Jade jump, turning to see Spiderman chuckling as he walked towards her. Jade smiled, standing and leaning against the wall as the superhero stood next to her.

"I'd offer you one, but you'd need to take the mask off to drink it," Jade said, laughing when the man next to her stayed silent. "Don't worry I won't make you take it off," she said, holding the drink out to him. "Do you want me to turn around?"

"Nah I've got it," Peter said, lifting only the bottom half of his mask up to take a small sip.

"You trust me to see even that much of your face?" she asked, taking the mug back when he held it out. Peter nodded, sending her a smirk before pulling the mask back down. "But you don't even-" she paused, frowning in thought. "Wait, you knew my name the other night. How did you know my name, and where I lived?"

Peter froze, before speaking. "I saw it on your bag," he guessed, holding his breath as she studied him.

"That makes sense," she said after a minute, and Peter breathed out a sigh of relief. "Are you having a quiet night?" she asked the hero, noticing how he wasn't in a rush to leave.

"I just wanted to check on you, after the other night," Peter replied. Jade tensed, looking down into her drink. Peter hesitated before taking a step closer to her, their shoulder touching as they stood.

"I only told my friend, Anna. I've started taking self-defence classes. It's not that I feel unsafe, I just want to be able to protect myself. Anna is usually the one who defends me, and I told her I'm okay," her grip tightened on the mug. "But I can't get the feeling of his hands on me to go away," she added quietly. Peter frowned, his jaw clenching at the memory.

"He won't hurt you anymore. No one will. I promise," Peter vowed, his heart tightening at the small smile Jade sent him.

"You have a whole city to protect. Why take an interest in me?" she asked, and Peter was left speechless for a moment.

Jade White was worming her way into Peter Parker's heart, and he was both in love with it and afraid of it. He knew what would happen if he got close to anyone, how dangerous it could be if enemies found out his identity. But he was still just a teenager.

"I like you," he mumbled, looking out to the city. "You didn't try to fight back, you tried to talk him out of it. You gave him the chance to be the better person, you tried to see the best in him. Because of that, I know you have a good heart."

There was silence between the two for a moment, both of them shocked at what had just been said. "Thank you," Jade whispered, smiling and blushing as she looked to the boy next to her. Peter met her gaze, his mask hiding his red cheeks.

Peter felt the hairs on his arms stand up, and he looked down, sensing something happening in the city. "I have to go," he said, and Jade nodded.

"Next time I'll bring an extra chocolate up," Jade promised, smiling as she raised her mug. Peter smirked, nodding.

"I'll hold you to that, Jade White," Peter said, before swinging off the roof. Jade watched, smiling as he swung between buildings until he disappeared.

"I don't have my name tag on my bag," Jade muttered, speaking to the city. "So who are you, Spiderman?"


	5. Chapter 5

A few weeks passed, and Jade began to notice how distant Peter was becoming. It was another normal day, and Jade saw how Peter was stood sending several text messages while they were cramped together on the subway.

"Who is it you're always texting?" Jade finally asked, surprising Peter.

"Erm, n-no one really, it's just to do with th-the Stark Internship," Peter lied, locking his phone and putting it back in his pocket.

"Oh," Jade said, turning her head to look out at the passing buildings. "You always seem to be doing something for that internship."

Peter tensed his jaw, sighing as he knew his lying was damaging his friendships. The few friends he had, he hardly saw, just in case Tony Stark needed him for another mission. "I'm sorry. But imagine it if I got a job with him? I'd be able to buy Delmar's shop just for you, promise," Peter joked, smiling when he earned a laugh from Jade. He had introduced her to his favourite deli, and she had quickly become Mr Delmar's best customer.

"You better keep that promise," Jade teased, poking him in the chest. The two squeezed through the crowd of commuters when they reached their stop, Jade being attacked by a punch to the arm from Anna in greeting when they departed the train.

"Hey, I'm gonna need your notes from Chemistry yesterday, Nico was ill at school, so I had to leave and get him," Anna said, the three falling into step with one another as they entered the school gates and trekked across the football pitch.

"Yeah that's fine. Does he need anything? I can make him some soup?" Jade asked, and Peter smiled at her kindness.

"Why do you look after my little brother when he's ill but never me?" Anna groaned, the three laughing as they crossed the road to school. A horn sounded at them, and Peter had to dodge the car that nearly hit him.

"What's up, Penis Parker?" Flash shouted, driving past them after Peter dodged his car. Some others around them laughed, but Jade pulled on his arm.

"Ignore them, Peter," Jade muttered, Anna silencing the students around them with a glare. The three walked in, avoiding some of the creations that were flying around the hallway.

"Rise and shine, Midtown Science and Technology," Betty Brant announced, catching Jade's attention.

"Students don't forget about your homecoming tickets. Do you have a date for homecoming?" Jason asked Betty, awkwardly.

"Thanks, Jadon, but I already have a date," Betty answered, equally awkward.

"Okay," Jason said.

"Yeah," Betty added, looking to the camera.

"I can't believe homecoming is nearly here," Jade muttered, and Anna smiled.

"Hey, if I have to go, you have to," Anna told her.

"Has anyone asked you yet?" Peter asked the two, Jade shaking her head and Anna staying quiet.

"Hang on, you never told me someone had asked you! Who is it?" Jade asked, grinning at the blush on Anna's cheeks.

"Ned, if you have to know everything," Anna muttered, ignoring the shared smirk between Jade and Peter. They stopped at Peter's locker first, and Jade noticed how he sighed as he put his jacket inside. Before she could say anything, Ned approached holding a small Lego Emperor Palpatine.

"Join me, and together we'll build my new Lego Death Star," Ned whispered to Peter, trying to imitate Palpatine.

"What?" Peter asked, turning quickly in excitement.

"So lame," a cheerleader next to them muttered.

"No way, that's awesome. How many pieces?" Peter asked, reaching back to his locker to get his books.

"3,803," Ned answered.

"That's insane," Peter said. Jade smiled at the fact he seemed happier, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something more was wrong with him.

"I know! You want to build it tonight?" Ned asked the three.

"Yeah, I'm free," Jade agreed, laughing when Ned gave her a fist-bump.

"I can't, got to catch up on the work I missed yesterday. Sorry Ned," Anna apologised, and Ned shook his head.

"I forgive you," Ned said, the two sharing a smile that made Jade a little jealous.

"No, I can't tonight. I've got the Stark-" Peter said, shutting his locker.

"Mm-hm. Stark internship," Ned finished, disappointed.

"Yeah, exactly," Peter added.

"Always got that internship," Ned mentioned, and Jade nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well, hopefully, soon it'll lead to a real job with them," Peter said, his thoughts taking him to when he'd be announced as an avenger.

"That would be so sweet. He'd be all 'good job on those spreadsheets, Peter. Here's a gold coin'," Ned said, and the three looked at him. "I don't know how jobs work," he explained.

"That's exactly how they work," Peter told him, smiling when Ned laughed.

"Oh, heh. I'll knock out the basic bones of the death star at my place and then me and Jade will come by afterwards. For the most part, the difficult thing is the base of it. The top half we can knock together in two hours, tops," Ned planned, and Jade noticed how Peter stared at something in front of them.

"That'd be great," he mumbled, softly smiling at Liz down the hall. The bell sounded, jolting him out of his daydream. "See you guys at lunch," he shouted, realising his class was the other side of school.

"Who was he staring at?" Jade asked Ned, the two having first period together.

"That would be Liz Toomes. Peter has the biggest crush on her," Ned explained.

"Oh," Jade said, surprised when her heart tightened at the words.

XXXXXX

That lunch, Jade realised the full extent of Peter's crush on Liz. "Did Liz get a new top?" Peter asked Ned, the two boys sitting opposite Anna and Jade, Peter with his head resting on his hand as he gazed at Liz behind the girls. Jade and Anna shared a look before glancing behind them.

"No. We've seen that before, but never with that skirt," Ned answered, and Anna rolled her eyes.

"We should probably stop staring before it gets creepy though," Peter pointed out. Jade shook her head.

"Too late," Jade told them, and Peter looked across at her.

"You guys are losers," Michelle added, sitting a couple of spaces down from Anna. Jade smiled, muttering her agreement and laughing when Peter nudged her leg under the table.

"Well, then why do you sit with us?" Ned asked.

"Because I don't have any friends," Michelle answered, looking to Jade and Anna. "Except those two."

"We're honoured, MJ," Jade said, smiling at the odd girl. She looked back at Peter, her face serious. "Why don't you just go talk to her? She doesn't bite."

"That would mean having to talk to her," Ned said before Peter could answer.

"Exactly. What if I made a fool of myself?" Peter mumbled, poking at his food. Jade frowned, keeping quiet for the rest of lunch until they went to Decathlon practice.

"Let's move to the next question. What is the heaviest naturally-occurring element?" Liz asked. Jade sat next to MJ, the two reading a book. Michelle never really contributed, and Jade only volunteered as a second in case anyone was ill.

"Hydrogens the lightest. That's not the question. Okay. Yeah," Charles muttered, panicking under the pressure. Abraham tapped his bell, raising his hand.

"Yes?" Liz asked.

"Uranium," he answered.

"That is correct. Thank you, Abraham. Please open your books to page 10," Liz instructed everyone. Jade was so engrossed in her book she almost missed Flash's words.

"You've never even been in the same room as Tony Stark," Flash said, rolling his eyes. Jade looked up in interest, as did the others.

"Wait, what's happening?" Cindy asked, looking between Peter and Mr Harrington.

"Peter's not going to Washington," Sally said, lying down on her stomach studying.

"No," Cindy panicked.

"Why not?" Abraham asked, tapping the bell again.

"Really? Right before nationals?" Liz asked.

"He already quit marching band and robotics lab," Jade said, glancing up from her book to see everyone staring at her. "I'm not obsessed with him. Just his friend," Jade defended, Peter smirking slightly.

"Flash, you're in for Peter," Liz announced, looking to Flash.

"I don't know. I gotta check my calendar first. I got a hot date with black widow coming up," he joked, looking pointedly at Peter. Abraham tapped the bell again.

"That is false" he announced, grinning as Flash shook his head.

"What'd I tell you about using the bell for comedic purposes?" Mr Harrington asked. Just before Jade went back to her book, she noticed how Peter stared at the clock, his feet tapping as if waiting for something as the bell rang.

"Hey, we're going to Delmar's after, right?" Jade asked Peter, stopping him from running to class.

"Er-, yeah, sure. I have to be quick though. I've got the-"

"Internship, yeah," Jade finished, nodding. They stood for a moment before they both went to their separate classes.

XXXXXX

Peter nearly forgot about his promise to Jade, but remembered just in time, so they were now running across the street to Delmar's, laughing as they debated who was the quickest.

"It was definitely me," Jade argued, smiling as he opened the door for them. Peter pulled a face before following after her, grabbing his usual sweets from the stand.

"What's up, Mr Delmar?" Peter greeted, putting the bags on the counter.

"Hey, Mr Parker, Miss White. Number five and eight, right?" Mr Delmar asked, remembering their usual.

"Yeah, um, and with pickles, and can you smush it down real flat? Thanks," Peter asked, Jade smiling at the man before going to get a bag of crisps.

"You got it, boss," another worker said, going to make the sandwiches.

"How's your aunt?" Mr Delmar asked, Jade glancing at Peter as he looked away.

"Yeah, she's alright," Peter said casually. Mr Delmar grinned, turning to speak to his employee in Spanish.

"She's a very hot Italian woman," he said, grinning as he looked back at Peter and Jade.

"How's your daughter?" Peter asked, also in Spanish. Jade burst out laughing, trying to cover it with her hand.

"Ten dollars," Mr Delmar told him, opening his register.

"It's 5 dollars," Peter pointed out, Jade smiling as she walked over to stroke Murph as they argued.

"For that comment, 10 dollars," Mr Delmar said, grinning.

"Hey, come on. I'm joking. I'm joking. Here's 10 dollars," Peter said, making Jade look up.

"I can get mine, Peter," she said, and he shook his head.

"It's paid for now," Peter told her, and she bit her lip, smiling while Mr Delmar watched her knowingly. "What's up, Murph? How you doing, buddy?" Peter asked the cat, standing next to Jade to stroke the cat.

"So how's school?" Mr Delmar asked the two as they went to stand back in front of him.

"Ah, you know, it's boring. Got better things to do," Peter answered, ignoring Jade's look.

"Stay in school, kid. Otherwise you're gonna end up like me," Mr Delmar said, looking around.

"This is great," Peter said, sharing a smile with Jade.

"Best sandwiches in Queens," Mr Delmar declared, handing the two their sandwiches.

"I've gotta go," Peter said, looking at his watch. "See you later!" he shouted, running out before Jade had chance to say goodbye.

"So, you and Mr Parker, huh?" Mr Delmar asked, Jade hanging back for a minute.

"Oh! Oh, no, no! We-We're just-friends!" Jade stuttered, for once knowing how Peter feels.

"Come on Jade, I saw the way you looked at him," Mr Delmar said, and Jade shook her head, walking to the door.

"You're getting old then," she teased, laughing as he told her off in Spanish as she left.

XXXXXX

"Jade! How good to see you again! Ned, come on in, both of you," May greeted the two later that night. Ned walked in first, carrying the Death Star in carefully while Jade carried the box with the pieces inside.

Jade had been to the Parker residence a hand full of times, and she loved it. May was like her own aunt, and she knew how much Peter loved her.

"Hey, May. Something smells…interesting," Jade said, smiling as she smelt the definite burning in the air.

"It's a new recipe. I think I might need some help in the kitchen, would you mind?" May asked. "You can have a cookie. Don't worry, I can actually bake rather than cook so they should be edible." Jade laughed, nodding.

"I'd be happy to. Ned, could you-?" Jade asked, thanking him when he took the box off her and went to Peter's room. "I'm sure they'll finish it without me," she told May, following her into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Jade. It's nice to have another girl in the apartment," May said. Jade smiled, knowing how lonely her own mum got sometimes.

"You're always welcome to come over, May. I'm sure my mum would enjoy having someone other than me to talk to," Jade offered, and May smiled.

"That would be lovely," she said, patting the girl on the arm before they tried to salvage May's cooking. It had been quiet from Peter's room, until a loud smash was heard about fifteen minutes after they'd arrived. "What was that?" May shouted, glancing to look at Peter's closed bedroom door.

"Uh, nothing! Nothing!" Peter shouted, and Jade shared a look with May, the two shrugging their shoulders.

"I don't think you'll be able to eat this, May," Jade laughed, taking the blackened food out of the oven.

"No, we'll have to eat out. I'll go ask Peter and Ned. Did you want to come?" May asked.

"Maybe next time, I should really get back home," Jade said, and May nodded before going to Peter's room, Jade following behind her. Jade went bright red when May opened the door and she saw Peter standing in nothing but his boxers.

"That turkey meatloaf recipe is a disaster. Let's go to dinner. Thai? Ned, you want Thai?" May asked, Peter also turning a dark shade of red as he saw how Jade tried to avoid looking at him.

"No! He's got a thing," Peter said, stopping him from agreeing.

"A thing to do after," Ned agreed, the two obviously hiding something.

"Okay. Maybe put on some clothes, you're embarrassing Jade," May pointed out, laughing as Jade tried to deny that fact as May left. Jade stared at the two.

"I should, I should go home. See you tomorrow," she said, rushing out before they could say anything.


	6. Chapter 6

Please review! It helps me know if I'm doing good or terrible!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"He really didn't have any clothes on?" Anna asked for the tenth time the next day. Jade and Peter had met like usual, but it was a lot quieter between the two.

"He had boxers on, but yeah, nothing else really," Jade answered, the two sitting down with the others in the gymnasium. Anna paused for a moment, the two watching as Peter and Ned sat further down from them as there were no places left.

"Is he fit?" Anna asked suddenly, and smirked when Jade stayed silent. "Jade has a crush," she sang. Peter turned when he heard that, and wondered who it could be as Jade tried to argue against her friend's comment.

"Hi. I'm Captain America. Whether you're in the classroom or on the battlefield, fitness can be the difference between success or failure. Today, my good friend, your gym teacher will conduct the Captain America Fitness Challenge," Steve Rogers said, the students sat confused as they watched the video.

"Thank you, captain. Pretty sure this guy is a war criminal now but whatever, I have to show these videos its required by the state. Let's do it," Coach Wilson said, blowing the whistle. Jade and Anna were some of the few who could sit out while the first few started the challenge, so they joined Liz and Betty.

"Now, see, for me, it would F Thor, marry Iron Man and kill Hulk," Betty said, Jade smiling at the conversation as she and Anna sat down.

"Well, what about the Spiderman?" Anna asked.

"It's just Spiderman. And did you see the bank security cam on YouTube? He fought off four guys," Liz corrected.

"Jade's met him," Anna told them, and Jade blushed as Liz and Betty looked at her.

"Really? What's he like? How did you meet him?" Liz asked excitedly.

"Well, he kind of, saved me one night. And he's visited the roof of my apartment building a couple of times," Jade said, gazing into space as she smiled softly. "He's…a hero." Liz's smile widened, the two girls thinking of the masked hero.

"Oh, my god, they're crushing on Spiderman," Betty grinned, Anna laughing at her friend.

"N-no," Jade muttered, failing to hide her blush.

"Kind of," Liz admitted.

"Oh, gross. He's probably like 30," Betty teased.

"You don't even know what he looks like. Like what if he's seriously burned?" Anna asked the two, and Jade and Liz shrugged their shoulders.

"I wouldn't care. I'd love him for the person he is inside," Liz answered, and Jade nodded.

"Someone that selfless deserves to be loved no matter how he looked," Jade added.

"Peter knows Spiderman," Ned shouted, everyone in the room turning to look at Ned and Peter.

"Er, no, I don't. no. I-I-mean," Peter stuttered, standing up and stopping near the group.

"They're friends," Ned added.

"Yeah, like Coach Wilson and Captain America are friends," Flash scoffed, coming to stand near Peter.

"I've met him, yeah. A couple of times. But, it's um, through the Stark internship. Yeah, well, I'm not really supposed to talk about it," Peter muttered, glaring at Ned.

"Well that's awesome. Hey, you know what? Maybe you should invite him to Liz's party. Right?" Flash said, looking to Liz.

"Yeah, I'm having people over tonight. You're more than welcome to come," Liz offered. Jade and Anna had already been invited, but hadn't mentioned it to Peter, as he never goes to parties.

"Having a party?" Peter whispered.

"Yeah, it's gonna be dope. You should totally invite your personal friend Spiderman," Flash encouraged, Jade shaking her head.

"Flash," Jade warned, Peter looking like a deer in the headlights at the offer.

"It's okay. I know Peter is way too busy for parties anyway, so," Liz trailed off.

"Come on. He'll be there. Right, Parker?" Flash asked, bumping into Peter's shoulder as the bell sounded. "Hey, Jade. Save me a dance," he called over his shoulder, winking at the girl. Jade looked away, her eyes meeting Peter's as she stood and walked over to him.

"Look, you don't have to come, but it would make it a lot better if you did," she said, smiling at the awestruck boy before she and Anna left.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked Ned, shouting quietly at him.

"Helping you out. Did you not hear her? Liz has a crush on you. Dude, you're an Avenger. If any of us have a chance with a senior girl, it's you. Not to mention Jade, what's that about?" Ned asked curiously, the two walking to the changing rooms.

"It's a long story," Peter whispered, thinking to the two girls.

XXXXXX

"Are you sure I'm not-" Jade trailed off, looking down at herself and up to her friend. Jade and Anna had just entered Liz's house, the party already in full swing. They'd been greeted by Liz, and a few of their other classmates.

"For the millionth time, you look hot," Anna stated, seeing how much effort her friend had put in for tonight. "Did you get dressed up for Peter or Spiderman?"

"Neither. I just wanted to look nice," Jade stated, Anna smirking at her knowingly as they wandered into the kitchen. "MJ, hey, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Free food," MJ said, just as the toaster popped up next to her. Jade and Anna watched as she buttered the toast, just as Ned and Peter slowly entered the house, looking around in awe.

"I can't believe you're at this lame party," Michelle said, Jade smiling as Peter and Ned turned to see her, Anna and MJ in the kitchen.

"But you're here too," Ned pointed out.

"Am I?" MJ asked, walking away eating toast. Jade shook her head, waving to the two.

"Hey, Peter. Hey, Ned," Jade said, blushing as Peter's eyes travelled over her.

"Jade. Yo-you look-" Peter trailed off, just smiling at the girl.

"Oh my gosh. Hey guys. Cool hat, Ned," Liz greeted, interrupting the eye contact between Peter and Jade. Jade watched the interaction between the three until Liz went to check on whatever had just smashed.

"Penis Parker, what's up?" Flash shouted through the microphone. Jade and Anna hurried to stand next to the boys, Anna glaring at anyone who dared to laugh for too long. "So where's your pal Spiderman? Let me guess, in Canada with your imaginary girlfriend? That's not Spiderman. That's just Ned in a red shirt," Flash teased, everyone around him laughing.

"Come on," Jade whispered, snaking her hand through his and walking towards the garden. Flash was still talking, but they ignored it until they were safely in another room. "Peter don't let him get to you," she said, Peter clenching his jaw and nodding. "I'm really glad you're here," she added softly, Peter smiling.

"Ah-hem," Anna coughed behind them, pointing to their still joined hands. Peter stepped back from her, fidgeting nervously as they blushed.

"I-I need the bathroom," Peter blurted out, sending Ned a look.

"O-Oh yeah! Don't worry, I'll keep the girls company," Ned said, winking in Peter's direction as he began guiding Anna closer to the window. Jade smiled at Peter, nodding nervously before joining Anna and Ned.

"Is Peter okay? I know Flash can be a dick, but I didn't think he usually let it get to him," Jade asked Ned, as he kept looking around. "Are you ok?"

"Oh yeah! I'm just-waiting for this song to come on! Anna, dance?" Ned asked suddenly, grabbing Anna's and taking her a few steps away to dance together. Jade smiled curiously as Anna glanced at Jade, looking excitedly but equally confused. Jade stood by herself, waiting for Peter to return, but he never did. Anna eventually returned, saying that Peter had to run somewhere, and that Ned was trying to contact him.

"Oh," Jade said, her mood deflating. Anna sighed, putting her hand on her shoulder. "I'm…I'm gonna go."

"I'll come with you," Anna said. Jade tried to tell her to stay but Anna stopped her. "If you aren't here, I don't want to be here. I'll go let Ned know," Anna said, smiling as she went to find their friend. Jade sighed, hearing Flash continue to mock Peter through the music as she and Anna left.


	7. Chapter 7

WhiteLunaNight – thank you so much for reading this story! Honestly made me smile when I saw that you had begun to comment on this one! I'm sorry to say that there won't be a proper kiss until Far From Home (which I finally bought and saw – AMAZING!). Please keep commenting and making my day with your lovely words!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

Peter was acting even more strange than usual, and Jade was getting tired of it. He no longer got the train with Jade in a morning, and always ran into classes last minute. Even at lunch he hardly ever sat with them, and Ned was disappearing as well.

Jade had had enough. So, when Peter offered to walk home with her, she decided it would be the perfect opportunity to tell him off.

"I just don't get it, Peter. I know you have the Stark internship, but we hardly see you anymore. And now Ned is being weird, so Anna is getting annoyed 'cause I think she was hoping to, you know-" Jade trailed off, the two walking off the subway. "And Liz is askin-"

"Liz asked about me?" Peter asked, gulping when he noticed Jade's frustrated expression. "Look, I'm sorry. I promise I'll try harder."

"Don't keep promises you can't keep, Peter," Jade told him, the two stopping and looking at one another. "I just hope that whatever you're busy doing, it's worth it," Jade said, starting to walk the opposite way of Peter.

"I was going to walk you home!" Peter shouted, Jade pausing and turning.

"Haven't you got the internship to get to?" Jade asked, smiling tightly before turning and continuing to leave.

XXXXXX

Jade sat on the roof of her building that night, two mugs of hot chocolate on top of the wall next to her as she leaned on it, looking out at the city. Peter had sent her a few texts, but she'd ignored all of them.

"That better be for me," a voice said, and Jade smiled looking down before turning, offering the second mug to Spiderman who had just swung down next to her.

"I keep my promises, Spidey," Jade said, and Peter smiled under the mask.

"Spidey?" he asked, and Jade blushed.

"Someone had to give you a nickname," she mumbled, and Peter hesitated before bumping his shoulder to hers.

"Handsome or charming might be more appropriate," Peter teased, and Jade giggled.

"How can I call you handsome when I haven't even seen your face?" Jade asked, the two looking out at the city. Jade suddenly turned to the man next to her, and Peter faced her. "Do you trust me?" Peter nodded instantly, but grabbed her wrists as he raised them to his face. "Trust me," she whispered, searching his mask.

Peter swallowed and slowly let go of her hands. Jade paused before she lightly traced her fingers across his mask. "What are you doing?" Peter whispered.

"You had bird shit on your face so I'm making sure it spreads everywhere," Jade whispered in return, the two laughing as she dropped her hands. "My grandma was blind so she used to feel our faces so she could recognise us."

"So, can you recognise me?" Peter asked, deepening his voice slightly. Jade smiled, shaking her head.

"I know that you're a good person though, Spidey. I wish I did know you," Jade said, glancing at him. Peter smiled softly, surprising the both of them when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The two stared at one another before Jade looked away.

"You seem sad," Peter mentioned. Jade sighed.

"I had an argument with one of my friend's, and now I'm avoiding him. I mean, he's become so important to me in such a short time and I just worry about him. Friends should be there for each other, and I feel like he doesn't trust me," Jade admitted. Peter stood speechless, realising how important Jade was to him.

"I'm sure he's just trying to protect you," Peter said, and Jade glanced at him. "If he's important to you, I'm sure you're just as important to him."

Jade studied him for a moment before looking out to the city. "You have a special someone, don't you, Spidey?"

"What makes you say that?" Peter asked, watching her rather than the city.

"Just the way you said that. I bet you try and protect her from your hero job," Jade said, smiling as she glanced at him.

"You have no idea," Peter sighed.

"Does she know?"

"No, but I want her to know. It would make things a lot easier. But then I'd be putting her in danger, and I couldn't live with myself if that happened," Peter said, his eyes meeting hers through his mask. "Would you want to know?"

Jade pondered his question for a moment. "I don't know. I think it's good that you want to protect her, but you might be doing more damage by keeping her in the dark," she advised, and Peter nodded his head.

"Thanks. It's nice to talk to you like this," Peter said, and Jade smiled softly.

"How else would you talk to me?" Jade asked, giggling as Peter silently thanked the universe that she didn't question him. "Anyway Spidey, I've got to get to bed. I have to be at school early, got to get the bus for Washington," Jade said, and Peter jolted as he remembered he needed to be on that bus.

"Take some photos for me," Peter asked, jumping onto the roof ledge.

"Of course," Jade promised, grabbing the mugs. "Hey, you didn't have any of your drink!" she accused, poking his leg. Peter grinned as he pretended she pushed him and fell off the ledge. "Spiderman!" Jade shouted, panicking as she leant over the ledge.

"Was you worried?" Peter asked, able to stand on the wall just by his feet.

"You're terrible," Jade said, shaking her head as Peter laughs. "See you in a few days, Spidey," Jade said, waving as Peter swung away.


	8. Chapter 8

WhiteLunaNight – Including this chapter, we have 7 more to go until the end of _Routine_, so you won't have to wait too long! I've already got the first 5/6 chapters of _Something Different _done, and I've put a little Easter egg in it for you!

SrChangeling1 – Thank you so much for the review and reading this story so far! I had no idea AO3 was a thing I'm honest, could you maybe send me the link and I'll have a look!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"So, Parker isn't here," Flash said, placing his hand next to Jade's head and leaning towards her as she leaned against the school bus, waiting for Mr Harrington to let us on.

"Very observant of you, Flash," Jade said, staring straight ahead.

"We haven't been away together since the camping trip in New Jersey," he said, and Jade glanced at him in surprise.

"My dad drove us," she said, smiling at the memory. "You got sick, so we kept having to stop."

"I wanted to make sure you could stretch your legs every half an hour," he defended, grinning when she laughed. "We were happy back then, me and you," he added quietly, and Jade looked down. "I've told you I'm sorry, what can I do to get you back?" Jade shook her head, about to answer when a figure jogging up to the group caught her eye.

"Hey, it's Peter," Abraham called, alerting everyone to the boy. Peter smiled, his eyes catching Jade's as she stepped away from Flash.

"Guys," Peter greeted.

"Peter?" Liz asked, confused why he was there.

"Yeah I was hoping I could maybe re-join the team?" Peter asked, and Jade jumped as Flash brushed past her.

"No, no way. You can't just quit on us, stroll up and be welcomed back by everyone," Flash argued, Peter walking backwards as Flash walked towards him.

"Hey, welcome back peter! Flash, you're back to first alternate. Jade, second alternate," Mr Harrington announced, stepping off the bus.

"What?" Flash asked, annoyed

"He's taking your place," Abraham explained, the group began laughing as Flash took his jacket off, throwing it to Peter.

"Excuse me, can we go already? I was hoping to get in some light protesting in front of one of the embassies before dinner," MJ announced, coming to stand next to Jade.

"Protesting is patriotic. Let's get on the bus," Mr Harrington agreed. Jade followed MJ on the bus, pausing as Peter grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Jade, I-I just wanted to say, I'm sorry," Peter said, stuttering as she stared at him. Jade was recalling her conversation with Spiderman the night before, and she sighed.

"It's ok, Peter. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Friends?" she asked, holding her hand out. Peter chuckled, surprising her with a hug instead.

"Definitely," he said, pulling back with a smile and waiting for her to get on the bus first before stepping on.

"Focus up everyone. Our next topic is the moons of Saturn," Liz announced, everyone but MJ and Jade sat with a bell in front of them. Jade tuned out as everyone shouted answers out to each of Liz's questions, her attention only taking an interest when Peter walked past her on the phone with someone.

"Internship. They didn't know he was coming here, but he wanted to come," Ned explained, hiding the tracker from Jade's view as she looked back at them both. She nodded, looking back to her phone and skipping her music to the next song.

They were soon at the hotel, and everyone looked around in awe at the size of it. "Everyone stick together," Liz told the group, leading them to the sign-in desk for the decathlon competitors.

"Yeah," Mr Harrington agreed.

"You kidding me? This place is huge," Charles said, looking around.

"I've seen bigger," Flash bragged, Jade shaking her head at him as she and MJ began to head for their room.

"There's a bird in here," Abraham pointed out, the group smiling. Jade noticed how Peter and Ned were quieter than usual, the two running off to their room before she could speak to them.

XXXXXX

"Are you seriously going?" MJ asked Jade, watching her friend search for a towel before triumphantly holding one up.

"Yes, and you are as well," Jade said, checking she had their room key before heading to the door. "You don't have to swim, just bring your book. It will be fun!" MJ stared at Jade for a few minutes before groaning loudly and following her out of the room.

"Jade! MJ! Come on!" Liz whispered, grinning as the two joined the others. "Did you get the snacks?" Jade held up a bunch of candy bars with a smirk.

"Looking good, Jade," Flash whistled, noticing her bikini as they ran to Peter and Ned's room.

"Remember we're going to the pool, Flash, I will drown you if necessary," she said, for the first time in a long time joking with him.

"Hey, Liz," Peter whispered, noticing Liz creeping round in her swimming costume.

"Perfect timing. We're gonna go swimming. Come on, come on," Liz whispered, turning around and telling the others to hurry.

"What?" Peter asked, confused until he turned and saw the team carrying towels and running past.

"Hey Peter," Sally greeted.

"Hi," Cindy giggled, waving as she ran past. Flash ran past, slapping Peter on the bum as he went past.

"Hey!" Peter shouted, Flash ignoring him and running past. Jade came to a stop next to Liz, grinning at Peter.

"Are you coming?" Jade asked. Peter was nervous at the best of times, and now in front of him stood two beautiful women in their swimming outfits.

"I was, uh- I was gonna go study in the business centre," Peter said, his eyes resting on Jade's.

"Peter you don't need to study. You're the smartest guy I've ever met," Jade said, making Peter blush slightly.

"And besides, a rebellious group activity the day before competition is good for morale," Liz explained, Jade nodding in agreement.

"Hmm?" Peter asked.

"Um, well, I read that in a TED talk, so. I heard it in a TED talk. And I read a coaching book," Liz said, nodding nervously.

"Wow you really – this is really important to you," Peter said.

"Yeah. Its our future. I'm not gonna screw it up. Besides, we raided the minibar and these candy bars were like $11. So get your trunks on and come on," Liz said, throwing him a bar before running to the others.

"Come on," Sally shouted quietly.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Liz assured, laughing.

"Let's go," Cindy said, waiting for Jade who held her hand up as she glanced at Peter.

"Live dangerously for once, Peter. Come on," Jade teased, smiling as he stared at her before she ran after the others.

Jade had fun that night. She actually got on with Flash, the two laughing as they used to when they were younger. Even MJ dared to get into the pool. But Jade couldn't help but notice how Peter wasn't there, and she found herself missing him.

Peter, on the other hand, was having a very different night. He'd found out he had a suit-lady after Ned disabled the Training Wheels Protocol and called her Karen, and was now stuck inside Damage Control Deep Storage Vault until morning.

"Should I tell Liz that I'm spider man?" Peter asked Karen, lying on top of a storage unit.

"Who is Liz?" Karen asked, making Peter laugh nervously.

"Who's Liz? She's-she's the best. She's awesome. She's just a girl who goes to my school. Yeah, I just. I really want to tell her, but its kind of weird, you know? 'Hey, I'm Spiderman'," Peter said.

"What's weird about that?" Karen asked.

"What if she's expecting someone like Tony Stark? I mean, imagine how disappointed she'd be when she sees me," Peter argued.

"Well, if I were her, I wouldn't be disappointed at all," Karen said, making Peter smile.

"Thanks, Karen. It's really nice to have somebody to talk to," Peter mentioned, and the AI was quiet for a moment.

"Don't you have anyone else to talk to?" she asked, and Peter's mind instantly went to a certain blonde.

"Yeah. Jade," he whispered, and Karen picked up how his heart-rate got a little quicker.

"Who is Jade?" Karen asked, and Peter thought about it.

"She's wonderful. I accidentally bumped into her at school, and I felt so bad, but she just laughed it off. Ever since that day, it's like she's become a part of me. I can speak to her as Peter and Spiderman, and she just…understands me completely," Peter said.

"So you have romantic feelings for her?" Karen asked, Peter jolting up right as he denied it. "Well, I am only an AI, so I have no experience on love, but it sounds as though you care deeply for this girl," Karen pointed out. Peter pondered her words for a moment, thinking about how he wanted to see Jade more than he wanted to see Liz at that moment.


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on, Peter, where are you?" Jade muttered, groaning as Peter's voicemail came up once more.

"Please be sure all cell phones are turned off," the announcer spoke, Jade sighing as she was forced to turn her phone off and hand it in. "I'm sorry, Mr Harrington, I couldn't get hold of him," she told the teacher, and he smiled anxiously.

"That's alright. Flash can take his place," he announced, and Flash quickly fell into line behind the others before going onto the stage at his words. Jade watched from the side, nervous about the competition and Peter.

"We have now entered sudden death. The next correct answer wins the championship," the judge said, before asking the final question. There was a pause before MJ sounded her bell. "Midtown tech?"

"0," MJ stated, as if it was easy.

"That is correct. Midtown tech are the champions" the judge stated, the room bursting into applause and the team celebrating.

"Woo-hoo! We won," Flash shouted, gripping the trophy tightly as the group walked towards the Washing Monument.

"You guys, I am so proud of you," Liz said, hugging Jade's side as the two grinned.

"Told you we didn't need Peter," Flash stated.

"Flash, you didn't answer a single question," Ned pointed out, earning a laugh from Jade. They walked through security, waiting as Ned and Liz hurried to enter the elevator.

"Hey, Mr Harrington, can I be the one to tell Peter he's expelled?" Flash asked, just as the doors shut. Jade stood beside Ned, the two listening to the emotionless tour guide.

"The Washington monument is 555 feet, five and one-eighth inches tall. Notice how the marble and granite are cut around the stone," she trailed off, the group jumping as purple lights shot up and cut into the ceiling, filling the elevator with smoke and stopping it from reaching the top. Jade gasped, her heart racing as she looked up.

"Oh my god, look at the ceiling," Flash said.

"Just stay calm, everyone," Liz assured everyone.

"Oh, we are all going to die here," Abraham stated.

"No, we'll be fine, we just need to stay calm," Jade said, agreeing with Liz.

"We're freaking screwed," Charles said, Jade frowning as everyone panicked at his words.

"Okay guys, I know that was scary, but our safety systems are working. We're very safe in here," the tour guide said. Mr Harrington helped to lift her up so she could open the lift hatch, and everyone watched as security guards reached down for them.

"Let's go," one said, and Cindy was helped up first.

"Give me your hand," another said, lifting Sally up next.

"There's a lot of glass here," Sally warned the others as she was lifted out.

"Okay, who's next?" Mr Harrington asked. Jade, Ned, Liz and Flash were still inside the lift.

"Me, it's my turn," Flash said, pushing past Liz, the trophy still in his grip.

"Flash, seriously? What are you doing?" Ned asked, shaking his head at him.

"Don't worry about the trophy," Liz told him.

"Take my trophy," Flash told the guards. Jade gripped onto Ned as the lift jostled, it falling just as Flash jumped to safety. They screamed, Ned holding onto Jade tightly until it slowed down to a stop.

"Ned?" Jade asked, gasping before the lift fell, Spiderman dropping to the lift floor and shooting a web up, stopping it from falling further.

"Hey, how you doing? Don't worry about it. I got you," Spiderman said in a deep New York voice, looking at the four before beginning to pull the lift up.

"Yes! Yes!" Ned shouted happily, letting go of Jade as he moved around in happiness.

"Hey, hey! Big guy quit moving around," Spiderman shouted.

"I'm sorry, sir. So sorry," Ned apologised.

"Alright. This is your stop," Peter announced when they reached the top, the security guards opening the door. Ned and Mr Harrington step off carefully. "Go, go, go. Everybody out. Move it, people, move it," Spiderman shouted.

"Liz it's ok," Jade said, seeing how she was panicking. They stepped forward, and Jade noticed the lift beginning to move again. "Hurry!" Jade shouted, pushing Liz forward just as the lift began to plummet once more.

"Jade!" Mr Harrington shouted, managing to grab Liz. Jade reached up for Spiderman's hand, screaming when she couldn't reach, and the lift kept going down.

"Jade!" Flash shouted, real panic in his voice as he watched her fall.

"Jade!" Spiderman shouted, flicking a web to her hand, stopping her from falling. "You're okay. You're okay. I've got you. I won't let you fall, remember?" he said, leaning down and grabbing her hand pulling her up.

"Thank god, you kept your promise," Jade gasped, holding on tightly to Spiderman until Mr Harrington grabbed hold of her.

"So is everyone okay?" Spiderman asked, his deep voice returning as Jade stared at him. She nodded, a small smile on her face as she gasped.

"This is your chance, Peter," Karen told him. He was surprised when she leant towards him, and he realised it was because he was leaning forwards as well. Until the ceiling dropped, and he fell.

"Thank you," Mr Harrington shouted.

"Are you really friends with Peter Parker?" Flash shouted down, no answer calling back.

"So not the time, Flash," Jade told him quietly, looking down to where Spiderman had just fallen.

XXXXX

Jade was sat in the hotel room, MJ in the bathroom when someone knocked on the door. She opened it, smiling when she saw Peter on the other side.

"Peter," she whispered, smiling happily as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Peter held her waist, pulling her close tightly. "Thank god you're ok."

"Me? You're the one who almost died," he pointed out, and Jade hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry I wasn't there," he muttered. Jade pulled back, smiling when he grabbed her hand.

"I'm glad you weren't. It would have meant you'd have been in danger as well," she said, blushing as he squeezed her hand before letting go.

"I'm just glad Spiderman was there," Peter said, and Jade nodded.

"I know. It's odd though, don't you think? He's normally only in Queens. What was he doing in Washington?" she said, and Peter gulped. "Whatever it was, I owe him my life," she added, and Peter breathed out.

"Yeah, he's…great," Peter said, and the two smiled at one another.


	10. Chapter 10

SpymAstreX3 – Thank you so much for commenting! I'm sorry the pace is a little quick, but I guess the way I've written it (3rd person but more centred on Jade I suppose?) makes it move along a little quicker. I'll go through the chapters for the next book and see if I can even it out a little so it's a bit slower! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

SrChangeling1 – I'm so glad you noticed, that was what I was trying to go for! Peter seems so much more confident when he's Spiderman and I want to show the differences between his two personas for the last few chapters! Thank you! I've seen it and gonna have a look at getting on it, thank you so much!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"This past weekend, Midtown's academic decathlon team defeated the country's best to win the national championship. Later that day, they also defeated death. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured thanks to the Spiderman," Jason announced on the morning school broadcast.

"Thank you, Spiderman," Jason and Betty said, out of time.

"Up next: the Spiderman mania is sweeping the school. How can you show your spider spirit?" Jason announced. Jade had been tackled into an almost painful hug by Anna the moment she got off the train.

"I'm fine, don't worry," she told Anna, the two walking to Jade's biology class after lunch. Ned said Peter had gone home because he was ill, so Jade had sent him a message asking him if he needed anything but was yet to get a response.

"Honestly, it's like you're a magnet for danger," Anna scolded, and Jade laughed.

"It's not like I intend to do it, you know," Jade pointed out, promising her they'd catch up after school.

XXXXXX

"Peter, hey," Jade greeted, opening the door, surprised to see him there. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, stepping back so he could come in.

"Er, yeah," Peter mumbled, and Jade frowned.

"Hey," she whispered, grabbing his arm. "What happened?"

"I lost the Stark internship," Peter said quietly. Jade realised his eyes were red, and she instantly hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Peter," she said, feeling his hands wrap around her waist. "I know how hard you worked for it."

"Clearly not enough. I screwed up," Peter mumbled, hiding his face in her hair. Jade sighed, rubbing his back as they held each other.

"Peter," she said, pulling back slightly so she could meet his eyes. "You could never screw up. You didn't lose it, they lost you," she said, and the corner of his lips pulled into a small smile.

"D-do you, maybe, want t-to go to homecoming, with me?" Peter stuttered, looking down. Jade eyes widened, and she cleared her throat, stepping back.

"Oh, Peter. Flash actually asked me today," she said, and he stood in shock.

"Flash?" he asked, and she nodded, looking down.

"We, er, were talking about when we were younger the other day and, he asked me at lunch today. We're just going as friends. I didn't think anyone would ask me," she mumbled, laughing nervously. "I'm sorry, Peter," she added, and Peter quickly shook his head.

"No, tha-that's great. As long as you, er, save me an awkward dance?" he asked, hiding his sadness and disappointment behind a smile. Jade nodded.

"Of course. I am sorry, Peter," she said, the two settling into silence.

"I should go," Peter said, surprising Jade.

"Oh, okay," she said, opening the door for him again. "I don't think Liz has been asked yet," Jade said, and Peter nodded, smiling softly before leaving.

The next weekend, Jade and Anna were in the city searching for dresses. "I can't believe he asked you. I mean, does this mean I have to be nice to him?" Anna asked, the two entering a dress store.

"We're going as friends, nothing more. And yes, it does. I'm giving him a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance," Jade explained, her eyes catching sight of a dark red dress. "This is perfect," she mumbled, smiling as she thought of the red in Spiderman's suit.

"Peter's favourite colour is red," Anna said after a moment.

"Shouldn't you be concentrating on what Ned would like to see you in?" Jade asked, nudging her friend's shoulder as Anna blushed.

"If only Peter had asked you while you were at Washington," Anna said, and Jade sighed.

"I would've said yes," Jade admitted, blushing herself when Anna poked her.

"I heard he asked Liz, and she said yes," Anna said, noticing how Jade tensed for a moment. "You ok?"

"Of course. I'm happy for him. He's had a crush on her since forever," Jade said, faking a bright smile and moving past her friend to the changing rooms.


	11. Chapter 11

SpymAstreX3 – Thanks for the comment! I know, I re-wrote that bit a few times but I kind of wanted to show that distance that had been growing between Jade and Peter and using Flash was the best way I thought. The Peter x Felicia fic – I honestly don't know. I try to stick with one OC story for a film/series/book and not retell a similar story with another OC in the same story (Jade is my OC with Peter, I won't ever pair him with someone else in a different story). BUT, I could see Jade becoming her own version of Black Cat or some sort of superhero. She's already pretty capable (still taking self-defence classes) so maybe in book three we might see her emerging as a new hero?

SrChangeling1 – Thanks for the comment! I hated it as well, but wanted to show that Jade and Flash do share this earlier friendship and history.

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"I'm sorry about dinner but I know when Branzino's fresh, and that was not fresh, okay? So-" Flash explained, Jade finding herself nodding along, not really paying attention as they drove into school. She looked at her phone, gasping when Flash slammed on the breaks, a small scream sounding from him.

"Flash, I need your car and your phone," Spiderman rasped out. Jade frowned when she saw his old costume but smiled nonetheless at his appearance.

"Us, sir, technically, this is my dad's car, sir. So I can't-" Flash stuttered.

"Oh get out of the car, Flash," Jade interrupted him, already opening her door and climbing out. She watched as Peter nodded to her gratefully before getting in the driver's seat. "Wait!" she shouted, stopping Spiderman from driving off. She surprises him when she kisses his cheek. "For Washington. Be careful, Spidey," she whispered, Peter blushing under the mask.

Jade steps back next to Flash, Peter watching her before starting the car and driving off. He could her burst out laughing as he swerved into the bicycle stand.

"Your dad is so going to murder you," she told Flash, who was stood staring at where Spiderman had disappeared to. "Come on, might as well have fun before that happens," she said, grabbing his arm and the two walking into school.

The two greeted numerous people as they entered the gymnasium, Jade grinning when she catches sight of Anna. She begins to walk towards her, but notices Flash hesitate. "Don't worry, she's promised not to hit you as long as you are nice," she teased him, Flash laughing nervously before the two walked over.

"Have you seen Ned?" Anna asked, Jade frowning at the question.

"Isn't he here with you?" Jade asked.

"He was, but then he ran off just after Peter did," Anna huffed, checking her phone, before smiling. "He's in the computer lab. He's just finishing off an assignment," she said, shaking her head.

"Why did Peter run off?" Jade asks, but is suddenly dragged to dance with Flash, and she never receives an answer.

"So, I'd offer to drive you home, but-" Flash says, the two walking out of the school later that night. Jade laughs, patting his arm.

"Don't worry, I think walking me home is acceptable," Jade teased, and the two walk back to her apartment, reminiscing on the night and when they were younger.

"I had a really great time tonight, Jade," Flash tells her, the two stopping outside of her door. Jade smiles, nodding as she unwraps his jacket from her shoulders.

"I did too, Flash," she said, holding it out for him. He takes it, flinging it over his shoulder.

"I'm going to try harder, you know. I want to be that kid you used to know again," Flash promised.

"Flash, I-"

"I know. You fancy Parker," he said, and she turned bright red. "I don't know why you do, but-if he makes you happy, he's doing more than I did," he adds quietly. Jade smiles softly, hugging him.

"I forgive you," she whispered into his ear, and Flash lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. They stand like that for a moment before Flash leaves. Jade is about to enter her apartment, but stops, something calling her to the roof. It's windier up here, but she doesn't care as she walks to the ledge, looking out to the city.

"Hey," a voice calls out, and Jade jumps, smiling when she sees red and blue feet sticking out of the shadows.

"God, you scared me. What are you doing hiding over there?" she asked, taking a step closer.

"Stop!" Peter shouts. He'd forgotten his mask at the beach, but he'd wanted to see Jade so desperately. Jade pauses, frowning as she searches the shadows. Peter was sat down, his legs laid in front of him, and she noticed all the rips and some cuts.

"You're hurt," she said, ignoring what he said and taking another step closer.

"Wait!" he shouted again, and she stops.

"I need to help you, or else they'll get infected," she says softly, and Peter sighs, leaning his head against the wall behind him.

"If you come over here, you'll see who I really am," he whispers, and she nods. "You could be put in danger the minute you know the truth," he adds. She thinks for a moment, before taking small steps towards him. Peter closes his eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment on her face when she realises Peter Parker is Spiderman.


	12. Chapter 12

SrChangeling1 – thanks for the comment! This is for you, just so you don't have to wait!

Only two more chapter left people!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"So Anna said you were pretty worried about Peter when he left homecoming the other night," Ned says, Jade walking beside him, the two heading to decathlon practice. She smiles softly, shaking her head. "You like him, don't you?"

"You've been watching Star Wars again, haven't you?" she asked, and he smiled knowingly.

"Denial. The first step," he whispered, almost to himself. Jade smiled, looking up and seeing Peter jogging towards them.

"Hey," he greeted, his eyes landing on Jade's. "Ready for practice?" he asks, Ned nodding but neither Peter or Jade notice.

"Of course, come on," Ned says, purposefully walking ahead of the two. Jade blushes, Peter smirking as the two walk next to one another, stealing glances at each other.

"So, will I be making some extra hot chocolate tonight?" she asks softly, smiling as she stares at Ned's back as Peter gazes at her.

"You bet," he whispered, his hand reaching for hers but pulling back at the last minute as they entered the library where practice was.

"Congratulations, decathlon national champions. I'll have to put this back in the trophy case soon but just for motivation right now at this practice. I'm a little ahead of the game, but we will need a new team captain next year. So I am appointing Michelle," Mr Harrington announces once everyone was seated. Jade clapped and whooped for her friend, Peter grinning at her across the table.

"Uh, thank you. My friends call me MJ," MJ tells the group, looking down at the table in awkwardness.

"I thought you didn't have any friends," Ned asked..

"I didn't," MJ admits, groaning when Jade throws her arm around her friend.

"I, uh, gotta go," Peter mutters, catching Jade's gaze as he begins to leave.

"Hey, where are you going? What are you hiding Peter? I'm just kidding. I don't care. Bye. All right, so we should run some drills," MJ said, turning to the rest of the group as Jade smiles when Peter glances over shoulder to her as he leaves.

XXXXXX

That night, Jade waited in anticipation for Spiderman on the roof of her building, two mugs of hot chocolate, just as she did most nights. It had become her new routine.

But it was different now.

"Hey," he swung down, straightening as he landed in a crouch. Jade smiled, offering the drink to him. "Aww, marshmallows and whipped cream!" Jade laughed at his excitement, knowing he'd like the surprise. Jade held up her hand as he reached for it.

"Come on, you definitely can't drink this with that on," she said, pointing to the mask. He sighs dramatically before slipping it off.

"Happy now?" Peter asked, grinning when Jade nodded. He stepped forward so they were standing shoulder to shoulder.

"What happened to the jumper and goggles?" she asks, realising he was in his newer suit once more.

"Mr Stark gave it back to me. It was Happy who called during practice. He drove me to the new Avengers headquarters. It was awesome," Peter tells her, wiping the cream off his face after he takes a sip of his drink. "Oh, and he offered me a place as an avenger," he adds as an afterthought. Jade punches his arm, turning to him with a massive grin.

"Lead with that next time!" she scolds jokingly. "This is amazing, Peter. It's what you've worked so hard for," she says, pride swelling for the boy next to her. Peter nods, glancing at her as she takes a sip of her drink.

"I turned him down," he admits, stepping back as she spurts the drink out over the ledge.

"What!?" she asks, wiping her mouth and looking at him in surprise. "Why would you say no?"

"Because of you," he says, and she closes her mouth in surprise, speechless. He looks out at the city as she watches him. "I've always been the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman, until I went and fought with Iron Man. After that, I just became desperate to prove myself, to become an Avenger. I began not caring about school, I was making May worry. But when I spoke to you as me and Spiderman, you reminded me who I used to be. Yeah, I'm still Peter Parker, but I'm Spiderman as well."

"You don't stop being Peter just because you're Spidey," she whispered, smiling as he glanced at her. "I'm so proud of you, Peter," she added, nudging his shoulder.

"Exactly," he agreed. He looked down, his hands tightening around the mug. "And when you were in that lift," he began, and Jade tensed. "I was so afraid I wouldn't catch you." Jade smiled, reaching across and placing her hand over his.

"But you did. I can't thank you enough that you did," she told him, and he shook his head.

"The lift was kind of my fault anyway," Peter pointed out, and Jade shrugged.

"You saved everyone," Jade countered, and Peter nodded, looking back to the city, allowing Jade to study the boy next to her. "That girl you talked about protecting, was it Liz?"

Peter glanced at her, and Jade held her breath at the intensity of how he looked at her. He opened his mouth to speak, just as some shots were heard a few blocks away. Jade watched as he glanced between leaving and Jade.

"Go be Spidey, Peter," Jade said, smiling softly. He nodded once, grinning as he put his mask back on. "Be careful. Knock on my window if you get beaten up," she told him, watching as Peter jumped onto the ledge.

"Hey!" he shouted, smiling as she laughed. She watched as he swung away, smiling softly as she turned, catching sight of where she found out who Spiderman really was.

_Jade swallowed, approaching Spiderman slowly, until her eyes adjusted to the face in the dark. "Oh my god, what happened?" she shouted, rushing forward to Peter's side, her fingers tracing the bruises on his face. "Give me two minutes," she told him, before rushing downstairs to fetch the first aid kit. Peter hadn't moved since she left, not even opening his eyes. Jade slowly placed the box next to her, placing her hands on his cheeks. "Peter, open your eyes," Jade asked quietly, and Peter shook his head. "Why won't you look at me?" _

"_I don't want to see your disappointment," he whispered, and she frowned._

"_Peter Parker, you open your eyes right now or I-I'll jump off the roof," she threatened. Peter's eyes stayed tightly shut. "Fine," Jade muttered, beginning to stand and walk to the ledge when a hand shot out and caught her wrist._

"_Are you insane?" Peter asked, his eyes open now with worry. Jade sat back down, opening the first aid kit. Peter watched as she got some antiseptic out, wincing when she dabbed at his broken lip._

"_Sorry," she said, finishing his lip and moving to the cuts on his hands._

"_You aren't disappointed?" he asked, and Jade frowned once more._

"_Why would I be?"_

"_Because it's me. Just plain, awkward Peter Parker. Not someone amazing like Tony Stark," he said, and Jade smiled softly, reaching for a bandage for his wrist._

"_I'd trade a million Peter Parkers over Tony Stark any day," she said, tying a knot on the bandage. She looked to his chest, noticing some blood on his shirt near his shoulder. "Co-could you, maybe-" she trailed off, pointing to the cut. Peter blushed, before unzipping his hoody and pulling part of his top down. "Thanks."_

"_So, you really aren't disappointed?" he asked, watching her as she worked. Jade rummaged round for something, and he gulped when he saw the needle and thread._

"_If you ask me that one more time, I will make it painful," she warned with a smile, and Peter nodded. He watched as she threaded the needle. "Just relax, my mum is a nurse. She made it mandatory for me to take every first aid course we could find," she said softly, squeezing his shoulder with her hand before beginning the first stitch._

_It was silent between the two, Peter occasionally wincing from time to time. "I had a feeling it was you since that night in the alleyway," she said, breaking the silence._

"_How did you-?"_

"_I don't have my name tag or address on my bag, Peter," she said, glancing at him. "Then there was Washington. I mean, how would Spiderman even know exactly where the decathlon team were if Ned hadn't told you," she pointed out._

"_Ned doesn't kn-"_

"_Peter, he's about as good as hiding stuff as you are," she teased, finishing with the stitches and putting a bandage over the cut. "This might scar," she told him, but he shrugged. "And then I saw the ferry incident on the news the same time you'd gone home sick. Then you came to my apartment, telling me you'd lost the internship. I didn't see Spidey for a few days. So I think I knew even before I saw your face in the shadows that it would be you sat here," she said leaning against the wall, her shoulder brushing against Peter's._

_Peter pulled his top back up and zipped his hoody. Their hands laid next to each other, and he stared at hers. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, and there was a pause before Jade slowly slipped her hand into his._

"_It wasn't my place to say something, Peter. Plus, I wasn't 100% sure, more like 90%. I did have a theory that the crazy old man downstairs could be Spiderman as he showed me his dead spider collection the other week," she joked, Peter chuckling as she smiled up at him._

"_I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Peter said, looking across at her. "I wanted to, but-"_

"_I know, Peter," she said. He smiled at her as she laid her head on his shoulder, Peter squeezing her hand and resting his head atop hers. "Some homecoming, huh?"_

"_Di-did you and Flash-?" Peter trailed off._

"_We had a good time. He told me he wants to try harder, be the person I grew up with. I think he really wants to be a good friend," she said, and Peter looked at their entwined hands._

"_Just friends?"_

"_Just friends," she confirmed, smiling as he unconsciously began to trace the back of her hand with his thumb._


	13. Chapter 13

SrChangeling1 – Aww well done! I'm trying to get as much done before I start writing my dissertation in full so I know it can be stressful at the moment so good luck on the next essay! It would be nice to do Endgame properly, but I've done a small nod to it, as it wouldn't really be able to focus on Peter or Jade until the end battle. My other series focusing on a character named Alvilda will address Endgame, but I still have four books to write in that series before we see Endgame, so maybe take a look at the first book of that series and let me know what you think!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

"How are you so calm right now?" Ned asked, his eyes wide as he glanced between Peter and Jade.

"Ned," Peter said.

"I mean, it's a massive secret you've been allowed to know," Ned carried on, Jade and Peter sharing a small smile.

"Ned!" Jade shouted, Ned looking at her. "You've been talking like this for five minutes," she told him, and he shook his head.

"I still can't believe you're not as excited as I was and still am," Ned said, the three sitting on the floor of Peter's room after school the next day.

"How bad were you?" Jade asked, glancing at Peter.

"He asked if I could lay eggs," Peter told her, smirking as she burst out laughing. "What do you want to know though?"

Jade pondered the question, leaning back on her hands as she thought. "Ok," she said, sitting up and looking at Peter. "I know I'm pretty good at cleaning and bandaging cuts up, but yours have literally disappeared within days. How?"

"I have enhanced healing. So you helped them heal quicker by tending to them, but they naturally just heal quicker," Peter answered, and Jade punched his arm lightly.

"That's cheating!" she said, smiling as Peter shrugged his shoulders, smirking. Ned watched the two, smiling to himself. "I am so not taking care of you next time you get beaten up."

"Oh come on," Peter said. "What if I bought you a sandwich from Delmar's the next day?"

"Deal," Jade agreed, smiling as she glanced over at Ned watching the two. "What?"

"Nothing. So how many times have you rescued Jade, Peter?" Ned asked, Peter glared at Ned before laughing nervously.

"A few," Jade said, smiling as Peter glanced at her. "But I've repaid him in hot chocolates," she teased, and Peter nodded.

"They are amazing," he told Ned, smiling as he got up. "You guys want a drink?"

"Sure," Ned said, nodding along with Jade. He left the room, and Jade waited until the door was shut before she leaned towards Ned.

"We have to do something for him," she said, and Ned looked at her confused. "Peter had saved the city and helped so many people. They might not be able to thank him in person, but we can," she explained, and Ned smiled at the idea.

"What did you have in mind?"

XXXXXX

"Ok, he's coming," Jade whispered, glancing over her shoulder to Ned and Anna who were hiding behind the sofa. The two nodded, smiling before ducking further down before there was a knock on the door. She breathed deeply, hiding her smile as she opened the door.

"Hey, I got your message, what's the emergency?" Peter asked, a look of worry as he noticed how downcast Jade looked.

"Come in, quickly," Jade said, pulling him inside. He frowned at how dark it was, before jumping when the lights suddenly switched on and he saw Ned and Anna jump up from behind the sofa.

"Surprise!" the three shouted, Peter's eyes widening in confusion as he glanced at Jade.

"Welcome to our Star Wars and junk food weekend, as a belated birthday present," Jade said, glancing at Ned and Anna. Peter frowned, knowing his birthday was about eight months before.

"We'll go get the pizza out the oven," Anna said, grabbing Ned's hand and walking to the kitchen with him.

"What is going on?" Peter whispered the minute they were out the room.

"We had to tell Anna that, but it's to say thank you for being you and Spiderman. You've saved me a few times, and Ned, and the city. They can't say thanks, but we can," she said, smiling at his shocked face at her words. "Do you like it?"

Peter glanced at her, then at the Star Wars decorations hanging from the ceiling and on the table, to the stack of DVDs beside the television. He smiles, looking back at her, biting her lip and waiting for his reply. Surprising both of them, he steps forward and pulls her into a hug.

"I love it," he whispered, grinning as he feels her arms tighten around him, her feet leaning up to put her head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a moment, forgetting their other two friends.

"Do we need to go into another room?" Anna asked, breaking the two apart. Jade blushed, shaking her head as she moved to take the drinks from Ned.

"Shall we start?" Jade asked, glancing back at Peter and smiling as she and Anna moved to the sofa. Ned walked over to Peter, both of them watching the two girls laugh at something Anna said.

"Do you like Jade?" Ned asked his friend quietly, their eyes not leaving the two girls as Jade moved to insert the first film. Peter sighed, patting Ned on the shoulder.

"Come on," Peter said, smiling at his friend, ignoring the question as he moved to sit next to Jade. Ned hesitated, watching his friend with a knowing smirk before joining Anna.


	14. Chapter 14

A few months later…

"Peter, what trash music are we listening to right now?" Jade asked, laughing as Peter poked her side. He leant his head against his arm, scrolling through the music when he suddenly looked up. "Peter?" she asked, watching as he looked behind them. She followed his gaze, and gasped when she saw a giant metal ship in the sky. Peter looked around, noticing only he and Jade had noticed it.

"Hey, I need you to cause a distraction," Peter whispered to Ned, tapping him so he turned to face them.

"Oh my god, we're all going to die," Ned shouted, noticing the metal thing in the sky over their shoulders. Everyone began panicking, moving to the back of the bus to look at the thing hovering in the sky. Jade made sure everyone was looking away as Peter shot a web to the emergency window, flicking it open. He jumped across the seats, Jade hurrying behind him.

"Peter," she said, stopping him from jumping out. "Please, promise me you'll come back," she whispered, knowing that this was serious. Peter smiled at her, pulling her in for a hug.

"I'll be five minutes, tops," he promised, glancing behind her shoulder before putting his mask on.

"Go get 'em, Spidey," she said, kissing the top of his head before he jumped out the window.

A few days passed, and Jade had heard nothing from Peter. She was sat in the living room with her mum, watching the news as it broke with word of an alien army attacking in Wakanda. Jade was being held by her mum, her phone in her lap in case Peter called. The both of them jumped when it began to ring.

"Oh my god, Peter?!" Jade cried happily, her mum watching on her as her daughter stood, walking to the kitchen window. "Where are you?"

"On a planet called Titan. It's a long story," Peter said, and Jade hesitated as she heard the defeated tone of voice. "I'm only able to call you from a spaceship telephone," he said, chuckling without any laughter. She was about to ask what happened when she heard a crash outside, and she looked up to see a helicopter falling into a building.

"Oh my god," she whispered, watching as cars drove into one another, people screaming in the streets. "Peter, something's happened," she said.

"Jade?" Peter asked, panicking at her words. "Where's your mum?" he asked, and Jade glanced over her shoulder to see her mum turning to dust in front of her. Peter jumped when he heard Jade's scream. "Jade? Jade! What is it?"

"Sh-she's-she turned to dust, Peter. I-I don't understand, she was-" Jade trailed off, noticing her hand breaking into dust. "Peter, it's happening to me," she whispered.

"Jade?" Peter asked, hearing the phone drop to the floor. "Jade! Please, answer me!" he shouted, tears falling as he received no answer. He stayed on the phone for a minute, listening to the screams in the distance until he couldn't take anymore. Peter stumbled off the ship, trying to make sense of what happened.

"Kid?" Tony asked. "Did you get through to her?"

"She-" he began, but the two looked up as the others around them began turning to dust. Peter's hair stood up on end. "Mr Stark," he called, holding his arms out. "I don't feel so good."


End file.
